The Airbrush is the most powerful, exciting and versatile art tool ever created! "Powerful" because it can do virtually everything a pencil, pastel or paint brush can do and a whole lot more that is unique to the airbrush. In the hands of a highly trained professional, the airbrush is an amazing art tool.

The simple facts about the airbrush are impressive:

• You can put any paint you like through an airbrush
• You can therefore paint on absolutely any surface you like
• You don't touch the surface like a brush , enabling you to paint on any rough or textured surface, from brick to corrugated iron, anything.
• You can create strokes as thin as a pencil and as wide as a small paint roller, instantly.
• You can create any colour intensity, from 1% to 100%, from the palest tints of colour to the richest intensities, instantly.
• You can create any focal value from in focus to out of focus, with a single stroke, instantly.
• You can make every stroke as long as you like and not have to stop to recharge your brush or sharpen your pencil.
• You can easily create artworks where the strokes blend together, becoming invisible to the eye.
• You can create artworks faster with an airbrush than any other art tool . . . much much faster

All of the above, and many other small issues, makes the airbrush a very exciting and profound art tool to use.

While it is the most powerful and amazing art tool ever created, it is easily the youngest art tool ever created. Unlike pencils, pastels, charcoals, paint brushes, tools that have been around for a thousand years if not more, the airbrush is roughly only 120 years old. Despite its very short history, it has burst onto the world art scene causing controversy that still lingers today. It has become an important tool in every commercial field where colour is applied by hand.

The biggest impact has been with the Living Art Movement, where people paint objects and surfaces that are lived with rather than canvases that are hung on gallery walls.

The Living Art Movement, is about people painting children's bedroom walls, feature walls in homes, restaurants, retail outlets, museums, etc (muralling) . . . about painting peoples cars, bikes, helmets, boats, surfboards, etc (custom painting) . . . about painting t-shirts, jeans, bags, shoes, leather jackets, doona covers, pillow cases, band back drops (textiles), . . . pottery, models, crafts . . . the list of everyday objects and surfaces that people are painting is too long to list here.

The Living Art Movement goes far beyond the limited notion of "crafts" when you look at the incredible artworks that are being created by the airbrush community on anything that will stand still long enough. The airbrush is the King of the Living Art Movement, it is the tool of choice.

Changing people’s preconceived ideas of learning to airbrush:

One of our biggest problems is convincing adults and teenagers alike, that they do not need to have any prior art or drawing experience in order to learn to airbrush.   Nor do they need to have developed artistic “talent” or “creativity”.  Many people look at the standard of our students artworks and cannot accept that we can teach them to do this without having extensive art or drawing experience.  We can!!

Prior experience with an airbrush can be a hindrance rather than a benefit.  These people often have to “unlearn” before they can learn our system. "Talent" and "Creativity" have nothing to do with learning systematic, measurable rendering systems.  We are all talented and creative but these abilities mean nothing in our classroom. 

 Let us explain . . .

 We teach "Rendering" not "Art":

We do not teach "art".  We teach systematic rendering methods, in how to replicate each shape, texture, focal value and colour you see in a photograph.  If a photocopier can do it, we can teach you to do the same.

You could say that we simply teach people to copy, to copy images accurately.  We are; but this is what all artists are doing when they have a person sit for them, or go out and paint a landscape, they are painting what they see.  We will give you this skill in a systematic way.

Our students do not need to know how to draw, because we use lightboxes and overhead projectors for all the preparation of the line drawings, to ensure the proportions are accurate.  A question for you; "Can you trace?" The answer is simple, everyone can trace. Even this process will be taught to you in a systematic way.

If anyone tries to tell you that tracing is “cheating”, get them to google artists such as Chuck Close, Richard Estes, John Salt or Howard Arkly, fine artists who’s artworks sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and use ohp’s.  It is a legitimate part of any painting process, and will be important to you in your early years of training.

 Why make it hard for yourself? . . . doesn’t it make sense to use every “trick in the book” to make learning to airbrush as easy and enjoyable as possible.  Later when you are a fully trained and experienced airbrush user, you can choose to airbrush without the aid of these tools.  We will use every tool we can, to make your classroom experience as systematic and rewarding as possible.

You do not need “Talent”:

You do not need to have “talent”.  All you need is the desire to learn and the commitment and persistence to break through and become an independent airbrush renderer.  If you have the ability to learn measurable systems and like the idea of tightly structured learning then you will enjoy our courses, regardless of your “talent”.

You do not need “Creativity”:

We do not want you coming to class and being creative with the photo references we teach you to paint renderings of.  We want you to learn to paint highly accurate renderings; you can be as creative as you like at home with your own artworks.

 The process of creativity is something that you can put into your artworks after you have the systematic methods to build on.  In fact, genuine creativity can only be developed when it is based on strong methods. 

 Using computer software programs like Photoshop will greatly assist you to be creative with your photo references before you start airbrushing your artworks.

 Learn an “Engineered” System of Airbrushing:

The Venturi Method is an “engineered” system of airbrush rendering.  After 20+ years of research we have managed to “boil down” the process into very simple fundamentals such as the diagrams shown . . .

 There are only eight fundamental strokes that you can create with an airbrush as the diagram shows.  Each has a simple symbol (much like written music) and when you begin your training we will give you written “Reconstructions” (like musical compositions) that you will simply play like a properly trained musician.  The example shown of an eye, will be the first freehand image that you will play in the course.

 Again, Airbrush Venturi does not teach art, it teaches systematic rendering methods that anyone can learn, even if they have no art, drawing or airbrush experience . . . it does not matter!